'A- Hey Marinette, there is a Christmas themed festival type thing happening in the park today. Would you like to go?'

Adrien sent the text with a smile, knowing that he had plans to see her that day but pleased to have actually thought up something to do. Their agenda had just consisted of "I'm free Monday are you?" before so now he waited eagerly in his room for her reply, happy to have someone to hang out with. He had felt the gap already, Nino barely able to even text since he had left Friday night and Ladybug calling their patrols off thanks to the cold weather. He didn't know Marinette very well but he would like too, and he already owed her lunch so wandering some stalls as well sounded pretty fun, even if he wasn't very good at social situations.

Adrien looked down at his phone when it went off, Marinette's contact blank for now and the message reading a simple 'M-I'd love to!'

'A- Have you eaten already?'

'M- No not yet, I can before we go though.'

'A- No no, I'll get you something. Would you like me to head over now?'

There was a lag in reply so he started to get ready on the assumption that she would say yes, piling on the layers and topping it off with his new, amazing coat. He looked around for a second before finding a warm spare mitten that Plagg used like a sleeping bag and putting it into the pocket Plagg had claimed for his hiding spot a few days earlier.

"Why do I have to go on your date?" Plagg whined, currently hiding by Adrien's desk with a pout on his face, tempted to come closer by the warmth of the jacket but trying to be stubborn a while longer.

Adrien sighed, not thinking much of the accusation. "It's not a date Plagg, and you can't just stay home, what if an Akuma attacks?"

"Just let it freeze its butt off in the street! Why do I have to be cold too?"

"You'll be fine in my jacket, I'm the one who will be cold," Adrien chuckled, looking at his phone again when a message came in.

'M- Okay! That Park is actually right next to my house, I can meet you there if you want.'

He smiled at that, replying with 'A- Okay I'll start heading that way and tell you when I'm close' before striding forward and snatching Plagg out of the air gently.

He stuffed the grumpy kwami into the mitten and shook at his head at how suddenly Plagg's mind changed about the whole thing, snuggling into the fine woven glove and settling in for a nap. Adrien checked himself over once more for his wallet and cards before exiting his room and walking down the long hallways towards the door. The good thing about the first few days of vacation was that he didn't have anything scheduled over the times he would typically be at school, so he actually had free time. He grinned at nothing as he went out the front door into the bright late morning sun, feeling a little chuffed with himself for actually making and going through with plans with someone new. He was branching out! Wasn't so bad at making friends now was he?

He couldn't help it, his mood steadily soared the longer he was outside, the bright pure sunlight reflecting off of the snow piled on either side of the sidewalk he strutted down and making everything so... well, bright. There was a light covering of snow on everything; the street lamps, the rain gutters, store signs. Basically everything that didn't move, and even a few things that did. He noted with light humor the snow on an old man's hat who stubbornly sat outside his store like he did every day from open to close. Adrien shot a glance at the humongous puffy clouds in the sky, brilliant and white, and knew it wouldn't be too long before snow started to fall again and he honestly couldn't wait. He loved winter, it was so crisp and clear even if it was cold. With his new jacket he wasn't going to be feeling the chill anytime soon, it was much too well made for that, and thinking about it made his mood warm even more. It didn't matter how awkward he could be, wasn't Marinette a little awkward as well? Endearingly so he had to admit. He was positive this was going to be fun, he was going to pay her back for her thoughtful gift in full if he could manage.

He was walking there mostly for the freedom of it, sauntering down the road and enjoying the weather without a car to coop him up. It would take him a little longer but she didn't live too far from him, and he liked it so what was a little snow?

A short ways out in front of him four young kids dominated the sidewalk in a snowball fight, a chubby stout one probably no older than eight instituting the street rule of 'Person!' (a common variation of the street hockey rule of 'Car!') to halt the onslaught if only for a moment. Adrien passed between the two warring sides with a happy grin, all four of the children ready with their ammo and their eyes trained on the prize. As soon as he had cleared them they were at it again, shouting and laughing as they soaked their jackets with slush. It made him laugh, the grin sticking to his face for a while more. Yet another good reason to protect the city, how nice was it to see moments like that?

He never had those sorts of things growing up, he had been a lonely child in a big house by himself much the same as he was now, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate it in the lives of others. If he couldn't have that sort of fun growing up then he would certainly keep fighting bad guys to ensure that those young kids could. When he was almost a block away he heard the chubby lad shout "I'm Cat Noir so you better watch out!" and he absolutely burst with glee, drawing a few looks from passersby as he laughed heartily to himself.

It was going to be a good day, he decided. Maybe he would jinx himself but his luck couldn't be that bad could it?

He fought the urge to double back for another block before caving, ducking into an alleyway quickly and waking Plagg. He couldn't resist, it was too fun.

After delaying himself by ten minutes by making the absolute day of four little kids and joining in the snowball fight as Cat Noir he rushed to make up for lost time, sliding over a few particularly slippery roofs as his superhero self to cut the distance in half and seamlessly canceling his transformation just before the park came into sight.

'A- just got to the park, I'll wait by the gate! Sorry it took so long I walked.'

He sent the text and slipped his black glove back on, rubbing his hands together to cancel out the chill from the snowballs he had packed a few minutes before. He didn't actually hit any of them, that would have been mean, but it made them feel like superheroes to dodge his 'attacks'.

He never did get a response, but he looked up when he saw someone approaching him a few minutes later, walking out of a bakery that really was right next to the park.

"H-hey!" Marinette called out, hurrying towards him with an excited but self-conscious smile. She was wearing a white padded winter coat and red thermal leggings to match her scarf and beanie, and he smiled at the sight of his gifts. She stopped a short distance away from him but in his good mood he didn't like to see her hesitate, so he closed the gap and gave her a quick friendly hug.

"Hey Marinette!" he responded with a happy laugh, grinning at her as he pulled away to see her flushed face hiding in her scarf.

"Sorry I took so long," he apologized, looking over his shoulder at the way he came to allow her a moment to collect herself.

"You walked all the way here a-are you cold? We could get some hot chocolate from my house- if you wanted we could just uh-" she was stuttering but he found it funny, keeping his smile effortlessly before gesturing to the park.

"They have a few vendors here! I'm sure I can find something warm, not that I need it much. My jacket kept me plenty warm on the walk here."

He loved how you could see her swell from the compliment, her hands clasped together with soft white mittens as she said, "Oh y-yay! Good!"

They stood there for another moment before he took a few steps towards the park, encouraging the shy girl to follow so they could walk in together. She was quick to follow him, hurrying to his side to pass under the heavily decorated gate with him. He turned his attention to the market for the first time, taking in all the festive cheer.

The gate surrounding the park was woven with lights so thickly that Adrien knew it must be quite the sight to see come night time. There were little red bows tied at the middle of every street light and garlands hanging from every tree, lights hung on anything close enough to an extension cord and ornaments on every plant in the park. There were Christmas trees brought in and decorated by the citizens running the market, placing the trees at the end of each row of tents, vendors and stalls. The canopies themselves were bright festive colors, some even patterned with angels or snowflakes. Under some were food vendors with every kind of cake and cookie you could think of, every kind of warm spiced drink there was. Each tent was clogged with different festive wares and gifts to be purchased for loved ones, and the entire area was flooded with warm cheerful music played by a live band near the carousel and thronged with people browsing the stalls. There were games and things for children, but honestly the only thing that Adrien could focus on was the hilarity that was the two Santa hats stuck squarely on the heads of his and Ladybug's statue.

To his great surprise Marinette was laughing nearly as hard as he was, coming to a halt in front of the statue and almost doubled over. It looked so funny, two Santa hat's on the heroes of Paris, and garlands wrapped around their necks.

"I can't believe they decorated the statue, that's hilarious," Adrien finally managed, looking over at Marinette and getting a little stunned in the process.

She was laughing, her freckles standing out against her pale skin and the humor of the statue shining in her bright blue eyes. With the snow and the stalls and the music, it became one atmospheric image of joy that surprised him, like a hallmark card or something. She really was a pretty girl, and when she wasn't beside herself with nerves her laugh was almost magnetic, pulling him in and making him laugh along with her, not even at the statue now.

"Oh man, Cat Noir would get a kick out of that I bet," she laughed, so distracted that she forgot to stutter. He smiled at her comment, while also wondering why he was the one singled out from the super duo. Then again, he thought, Ladybug had a more widely known serious image than he did, it wasn't all that surprising that he was considered the mirthful one from afar.

"Ladybug as well probably, that's just silly," he added, grinning at the thought of her rolling her eyes and shaking her head with a smile on her face.

Marinette rolled her eyes and shook her head at the sight before turning towards him with a smile on her face, making him freeze before she said shyly, "Want to get s-something warm to drink?"

The hesitation and self-conscious undertone to her words pulled him away from the comparison, forgetting the sharp familiarity almost instantly. Ladybug was the definition of confidence, she wouldn't stutter.

"Yeah, would you like something? It's on me." He grinned at how she jumped a little, her cheeks red and eyes wide as she waved her hands in front of her.

"You- you don't have to buy me anything!"

"You're right, I want to though. Pick something or I'll just guess," he laughed, moving out in front of her to head towards the closest vendor to them.

Marinette trailed after him with a frown, not wanting him to spend money on her, but even her playful bad humor faded in his presence, he was practically glowing.

"You seem like you're in a really good mood today," she said simply, her voice still annoyingly quiet and timid, making her feel like a fool. She had to pull it together it was just them! There was no one else to buffer for her, it was just her and Adrien. The thought alone made her knees quake.

His dazzling smile was not helping calm her, but his demeanor was so intoxicating it even helped combat her nerves with prolonged exposure.

"Yeah, I guess I am," he chuckled. "I don't really know why, it just feels like today is going to be really really good. I mean, just with the holidays and stuff everyone is so happy I guess it's easy to be cheerful. On the way here, it was so funny, there were four little kids having a snowball fight. One of them was pretending to be Cat Noir, and then out of nowhere the real Cat Noir showed up and started playing with them! They looked so happy it was awesome, the one pretending to be him looked like he was going to faint."

He watched as Marinette giggled, shaking her head a little. "Well that certainly sounds like him, that's really cute." After a moment though she hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder what he was doing out and about the city in his transformation. Hopefully there's no trouble."

When her attention was diverted and not completely focused on him she spoke more naturally, her nerves eased slightly. His thoughts turned to her bright and bubbly streak he had seen before as Cat Noir. He hated that he made her nervous somehow, thinking he had done something to intimidate her made him even more determined to ensure they had a nice time today.

"I don't think he would have stopped to play with kids if there was any trouble," he contradicted, walking up to the drink vendor and speaking to Marinette over his shoulder, "I'm sure he was just out for a run or something. Drink?"

He noticed that she got the cheapest thing but didn't fuss, just glad to get her something. He settled with a hot chocolate himself, little peppermint bits floating in the thick brown drink.

"Thank you sir!" Adrien offered to the vendor's worker, when he heard a quiet, cute gasp, and announcement of "Oh lame".

He whirled around to see that Marinette had wandered off a little, walking into a particularly massive tent immediately to the vendor's left. She was clutching the drink he had gotten her in her hands, her mittens off for the moment and dangling precariously from her pocket. Her mouth was open in a little 'o' and she was staring at some sort of sweater collection sitting on a table. It looked like- wait what? He moved closer, and after a moment's more observation he burst into laughter.

"Are these cat pun sweaters?" he demanded, jogging to stand next to his friend and pouring over the wide selection. They were all Christmas themed, all cat themed, and all perfect.

"Have a pawsitively purrfect holiday," Marinette read aloud, groaning as she used one hand to sort through a few. "Meow-ry Christmas!? That one is just terrible!"

"Cat puns are an art form, I will have you know," Adrien joked, setting his drink down and pulling one that simply read 'Santa Claws' into his hands.

He snickered when Marinette said, "Oh gosh, you're just as bad as Cat."

"You know him?" he asked, trying to hide his smirk as he looked for more puns.

"N-no well not- not like well. I have spoken to him though, and its terrible puns left and right like you wouldn't believe. He would probably love these honestly."

"That's the idea!" a voice suddenly called out, and the two teens turned to see the store's owner sitting buried behind decorative scarves and tablecloths. She was an older woman, and was wearing what could only be described as Cat Noir sweater with twinkling lights built in. Adrien choked on air when he saw it, quickly turning to 'shop' so he wouldn't laugh in her face.

He needed that sweater for Ladybug. She would clobber him but it would be so worth it if he could convince her to wear it even once.

The lady spoke up again, waving her arms and betraying the fact that there were little bells sewn into the cuffs. "I knew there was gonna be Ladybug such and such available at this market so I wanted to make sure Paris' favorite kitten got some Christmas spirit, isn't he the cutest?!"

Marinette couldn't help but gape at the giant picture of Cat Noir the lady pulled out of nowhere cuddling it close with a dreamy expression on her face. Then she couldn't help but start to giggle, clenching her teeth tight and covering her mouth, trying her best to not roar with laughter. Thanks to her distraction she did not see Adrien's reaction when he turned around and saw it.

'Ew ah okay oh man weird why is she hugging it' Adrien took a closer look around and realized everything in there was either cat themed or him themed, little black cat ear headbands with Christmas lights sewn on and little cat shirts and tablecloths. It was kind of awesome, but also sort of weird. Mostly hilarious actually, but also instilling a little giddy sort of hope in him, because that woman had definitely said there was a Ladybug stall as well.

"This is so funny" he heard Marinette whisper in an almost strained voice, and he saw something like tears of laughter in her eyes as she turned a giant bell over in her hand. After a moment she surprised him and said with a sigh, "How much for a sweater?"

"Twenty five!" the woman exclaimed happily, and Adrien turned to Marinette with an eyebrow raised.

"I thought you said Cat Puns were lame?"

"They are, obviously," she chuckled, picking up one that said 'Have a Clawesome Holiday'. "But I've got a friend I need to get a gift for who would love it. I'll take this as well." She held up a very small golden bell on a black chord, putting it on top of the sweater and taking out her wallet, weirdly careful about how she opened her purse. Something about the purchase made his skin feel hot, and he felt almost... prideful? When Marinette purchased her things that feeling swelled and exploded into an ecstatic grin when he saw her slip the bell around her neck.

"Are you a fan of Cat's?" He had to ask, she bought a bell of his to wear, that was so awesome. To his surprise yet again, she scoffed.

"No no I would not classify myself as a fan," and he didn't like to admit it but he was a little disappointed. Until she added, "However I do agree with the owner. He deserves a bit of Christmas spirit too. I see stuff for Ladybug all the time, but not so much for Cat. I've always thought that was unfair cause I'd never say it to his face but he's pretty amazing too. Maybe Ladybug is a bit better," she said it with a smirk on her lips, a teasing familiarity that nagged at the back of his mind. He knew she didn't mean it bad against him, she was just playing, another thing new to him from Marinette, but familiar from somewhere else. She was speaking in unbroken sentences, it changed her whole voice even her stance was affected. She had weight on one hip, one hand on her coffee, the other gripping the sweater. Her eyes were bright and achingly similar to something else. Her demeanor changed when the topic was Cat Noir, and when he had asked if she knew him it was almost genuinely a question. Did she? More than maybe he realized?

Then, her eyes traveled to his and he saw her heat beneath his gaze, gripping the sweater in a way that betrayed her uncertainty, like she was nervous he would think she was being silly. And he spoke thoughtlessly, the words slipping out.

"You're amazing."

There was a beat of silence where they held each other's eyes, and he thought very simply,

Shit.